Pokemon: A Fantasy Tale
by ShinyDragonair2
Summary: Long ago, the 18 regions lived in peace. It all changed when the dragons attacked, fueled by greed and a lust for power. They were overcome, sealed in ice for what should've been eternity. They arise, stronger than ever, taking over the world of Pokemon. The only thing standing against them – a group of special teenagers who'll truly demonstrate the power of bonds. KS CS PS IS ORS
1. When The Story Began

**Chapter 1: When The Story Began**

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, my lovely readers! Here's a new story, one I've actually planned HEAPS so I won't go through writer's block and shiz. There will be a lot of different characters and ships. Main-ish characters including Serena, Ash, Calem, May, Misty, Drew, Leaf, Gary, Dawn, Paul, Iris, Steven Stone and the champions, and many many of your favourite characters. Most of them have deep backgrounds I've thought into.

(Dat Avatar reference tho. Thanks to Avatar for sparking the idea. XD)

I decided to write a fantasy story, because fantasy is my favourite! You'll be introduced to a lot of new lands here, each with their own unique environment which will be revealed later in this story.

I've worked on this a lot, and I hope you enjoy it until the end!

* * *

**I - When The Story Began**

Once upon a time, eighteen regions of different elements lived in peace, harmony, and mutual respect. Each one relied on each other for resources, trade and unity.

They included Floriade, the land of grass, Flarespyre, the land of fire, Aquafina, the land of water, Galvania, the land of electric, Glacia, the land of ice, Dracotora, the land of dragons, Celestia, the land of fairies, Martialaos, the land of fighting, Skyglade, the land of flying, Metamorphia, the land of bugs, Pandora, the land of psychic, Continentia, the land of ground, Krystalacia, the land of rock, Skyronade, the land of steel, Skiadula, the land of darkness, Crematoria, the land of ghosts, Acidacia, the land of poison, and finally, Lemuria, the lost land.

However, after generations of peace, the mutual respect between these regions began falling apart. The Flarespyrese's riches continued to grow, and with that wealth came a price of greed. They ceased all trades with the land of grass, Floriade, as they thought the Floriadese were of a lower class.

But the region that was hit the hardest by greed, was Dracotora, the land of dragons. They grew so powerful, that they felt that they could overcome the entire world. Luckily, one young Dracotorian, the son of the king, realised that what they were doing was wrong and decided to try to change fate.

And that's how it all began.

* * *

Calem Xavier**,** the young prince of Dracotora was sitting outside the castle. He was seated on a large rock, staring up into the silver-specked sky. The words his father had just told him were whirling through his mind and frankly, he disagreed with every single one.

His father was the wealthy, powerful king of the dragon-type region. But Calem, unlike many of the Dracotorians, had different ideals to his father.

The dark-haired prince was one of a kind in his region, and preferred peace and valued lives over power and riches. So when the king told him the plans they were forming, he knew he just had to do something about it.

And that left him with just one option; warning the land of fairies and the land of ice, Celestia and Glacia, of what was coming. He hesitated for a while, as travelling to those regions could potentially cost him his life.

_Do I really think I, the prince, can just set out on an adventure with no one noticing? Good one, Calem._

He watched on as two Salamence sparred in the sky, each one violently clawing, biting and breathing out fire. His grey eyes narrowed. "Tch," he clicked in annoyance, sliding off the large rock.

He trudged back up to castle, the preparations for his father's war plans evident as he strode through the large hallways.

"Calem, your highness!" one soldier called out, curtseying as he called out the prince's name. "I must ask you for a favour."

Calem stopped in his tracks, turning to the soldier. "Yes?" he replied, his voice calm, but rushed.

"We need you to travel to the dragon's den at dawn," the soldier explained, reading off a list. "Lance must deliver something to Clair, however he's too busy with the king's preparations. You are the only other person permitted into the den."

Calem stared blankly as the cogs in his mind began turning. "I will do so, then. Thank you." He smirked, and turned to walk away.

_Perfect_.

* * *

"Return soon, son."

Calem bowed his head down slightly to the king, nodding. "Of course, father." He turned away, strapping his belongings to his Dragonite, before mounting the dragon-type.

His father, King Xavier II, watched as the Dragonite, accompanied by two soldiers' Noivern, took off into the pale blue sky.

The king's eyes narrowed as he whipped around, turning to walk away. He stopped by two soldiers, not bothering to make eye contact as he spoke.

"After one hour has passed, set out and tail them. Make sure you are not spotted, and bring his Dragonite down if he is to go off course at all."

* * *

The large, orange dragon-type shot through the sky rapidly, holding out its left hand to skim it through the clouds. Calem grinned as the wind whipped by, he loved nothing more than the feeling of freedom.

"Turn east, Dragonite. We have a change of plan, we're actually going to Celestia." He paused. "Long story, bud."

Dragonite turned its head slightly, confused as to what its trainer was telling it to do. Nevertheless, it turned back and did what it was told obediently.

A few more minutes of peaceful flying had passed, when Dragonite abruptly dived to the right to avoid an attack sent its way. It came to a stop, turning and hovering in the air to identify the attacker.

Calem's eyebrows furrowed as he realised that they were soldiers of his own region. "What do you think you're doing?" he called out, yelling across the wind. "Attacking me, the prince?"

"It's the king's orders!" one of the armour-clad soldiers yelled in reply from on top of their Noivern. He hesitated, before reluctantly commanding his Pokémon to attack. The other soldier followed suit.

The dark-haired prince gritted his teeth as Dragonite narrowly dodged both the attacks. "Hit them both with extreme-speed," he breathed, his grey eyes gleaming. "Then take them down with dragon claw."

Nodding, Dragonite gave a moment for Calem to brace itself before stunning the two foes with extreme-speed. It then took advantage of the Noiverns' shock and hit them simultaneously with it's power-enhanced claws.

While their opponents tumbled down, Calem seized the opportunity to escape. He smirked as they raced through the clouds.

"You underestimate me, father."

* * *

It took another hour and a half to reach Celestia, the land of the fairies. Dragonite began descending, making sure to land in a hidden area. If a dragon-type were to be spotted, it would surely be taken down. Dracotora had sworn Celstians as their enemies, after all.

He landed in an empty field, it was filled with long, bright green grass which seemed to glow. Calem dismounted his Pokemon as he said, "Thanks, bud. I can handle this from now."

Dragonite nodded with a grunt, before it took off into the air to wait in a more hidden location.

Calem set off through the fields, it took him forty minutes to reach the main town. He received stares from passerbys in the busting, bright town. No Celestians had jet black hair, after all.

"Excuse me?" came a voice from behind him, as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see a short, honey-blonde girl who looked around his age. She had bright, blue eyes which curiously gazed into his own piercing grey ones. At her heel was a Sylveon, glaring up at him with its large eyes.

Beside her was a tanned, raven-haired boy with warm chocolate eyes. He had a happy expression on his face, and seemed to radiate good vibes. On his shoulder was a Pikachu, which seemed to be intimidated by Calem.

"Yes?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. His steel grey eyes seemed to stare too deep into her, as she turned away uncomfortably.

"We thought you might be lost," the blonde replied, "because you don't look like you're around from here."

"Neither does your friend," Calem replied as his eye shifted to the boy with the Pikachu.

"Oh, this is my friend Ash," the girl replied, as politely as possible, "he's from Galvania." She smiled when introducing herself. "And I'm Serena! I'm Celestian."

"Are you a member of royalty?"

"No, why does that–"

"Then you don't interest me."

Serena stared in disbelief as Calem began striding away. She clicked her tongue, turning to Ash for a moment. "Wait here," she told him, before jogging to catch up with the strange outsider.

She stopped in front of him, poking his chest. "Listen, you," she began, staring up at him, "why do you need a member of royalty? If you think the guards are going to let someone as Dracotorian-looking as you in, think again."

Calem sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am Dracotorian. I'm here to save this place from a catastrophe, so get out of my way if you want to live."

Serena's jaw hit the ground as she said, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold your horseas. You're our enemy." She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Why would you want to save us from a catastrophe?"

"I'm different, I don't particularly enjoy war," he replied, looking down on the shorter girl. He was a whole head taller than her. "Don't believe me if you don't want to." With that, he began walking away towards the distant castle.

He felt a hand on his shoulder moment, and turned around to once again see the persistent blonde staring up at him.

"I believe you." She looked away for a moment, but then turned back and looked him in the eye. "I know Queen Diantha well, I'm sure she wouldn't mind meeting me for ten minutes today."

Calem raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed by the statement. "How do you know her?"

"It's a long story," she replied with a chuckle. The amusement gone, she looked up at him seriously. "But if it's that big of a catastrophe you're talking about, then I can take you to her right away."

Calem followed Serena up through the town centre and towards the sparkling, majestic castle of Celestia that loomed over them. They had left Ash behind, promising to come get him later on.

As they neared the castle, Serena turned to the mysterious outsider. "By the way, I never got your name. May I know?"

"Calem," he replied, his eyes focused on the nearby caste gate, "that's my name."

"Alright Calem," Serena said, grinning as they approached the soldiers guarding the gate, "watch this."

With her Sylveon at her heels, she approached one of the soldiers sweetly. "Um, excuse me," she said shyly, tucking a strand of her thick honey-blonde hair behind her ear and shifting her feet. "M-my name is Serena, and I'm here to visit her Highness."

Behind her, Calem watched curiously with his arms folded in his fitted dark clothing. He rolled his eyes with a small smile at her feigned personality.

"I'm afraid we cannot allow you in, no matter what your intentions. We do apologise, miss."

Serena sighed, pouting as she turned away. She began walking away, before whispering under her breath. "Extra bright dazzling gleam."

In the span of a second, Sylveon turned and flashed an extremely bright, pink attack at the soldiers. Each of them were knocked back, blinded from the unbelievably bright flash.

"Now!" she called out, ushering to Calem, who was highly entertained by the whole notion. He quickly followed, as they seized the chance to pass through. Both of them sprinted as fast as possible through the well-maintained castle gardens and to the main castle gates.

"We're here to see her Highness, Queen Diantha!" Serena announced as they reached the castle gates. "It's an extremely urgent matter, I beg you to let her know I'm here."

One of the soldiers gazed sceptically at Serena, before sighing and nodding. "Very well. Your name and birthdate?"

"Serena Yvonne, 13th October 2000," she replied, bowing her head slightly. She turned her head to Calem, saying, "And this is the person who brings the news of the danger."

"Alright," the soldier replied, turning to leave. "I will let her know you're here." And with that, he turned away into the castle.

"I hope Diantha hurries. The dazzling gleam's effects should be wearing off real soon," Serena stated, fidgeting nervously.

"I didn't think you had it in you," Calem said, smirking. "You know, tricking the guards like that. It's impressive that they can let down their defences and can be passed so easily. I guess this is a pretty peaceful place, huh?"

The Celestian turned to look at Calem, who was staring into the distance, thoughts clearly swirling through his mind. She continued staring, beginning to realise that was certainly good-looking. Tall, a strong jawline, long black hair, piercing grey eyes and a slim figure.

He noticed her gaze and turned, causing her to fluster. Lucky for her, yells from behind them interrupted the silence. The soldiers from before were hot on the trespassers' trail.

"Oi! You kids aren't allowed in the castle!"

"Actually, they are."

A silky, but strong voice was heard from behind. Both Calem and Serena turned, to see none other than Queen Diantha. The soldiers immediately bowed, stuttering apologies.

Calem stared in awe, at the beauty of the majestic queen. She had short dark hair, stunning icy blue eyes and pale skin that seemed to glow.

"Come on in, Serena and friend," she said with her elegant voice, turning and heading back inside the castle.

The two teenagers followed the Celestian queen through the large, open hallways, until they reached a room with a large, round, marble table. Diantha took a seat on the largest chair, saying, "Take a seat."

Taken aback by the beauty of the meeting room, the young pair took their seats on the fancy chairs. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before the queen's strong, but kind voice was heard once more.

"So, what's this urgent message you seem to need to tell me?" she said, turning to Serena. Her eyes flickered to the Dracotorian prince. "I suppose this young man has something to do with it?"

Serena nodded vigorously. "He's from Dracotora, you know, the land of dragons." At those words, Diantha's eyebrows rose. "He said he has information that'll save our lives, and needed to speak to a member of royalty."

"Very well," Diantha said with slight hostility as she turned to face Calem. "Do tell."

Calem gulped, bringing up his gaze to meet that of the stunning queen. "My f – the king has plans to defeat and invade Celestia and Glacia, his greatest enemies. He said he feels that without the fairies and ice in his way, Dracotora can easily take over this world. They plan to attack Celestia first, followed by Glacia in two night's time."

There was a short silence, in which the information sank into the two Celestians.

"And why should we trust you, a regular citizen of Dracotora?" Diantha said, breaking the silence. She stared deeply at him, observing everything.

Calem simply shrugged. "That's up to you. It's true, and I'm just here to warn you, _you guys_ are the ones in trouble anyway." He stood up, and bowed slightly. "I trust you'll let the Glacian king know for me, and if you don't, it's likely they'll perish along with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be returning to my land." With that, he stood up and turned to leave the shiny, large room.

"Why are you telling us this?"

He stopped, turning his head over his shoulder to reply to the queen. "I'm different from the rest."

And with that, he turned away and swiftly headed out and through the halls. He exited the large castle doors, receiving untrusting glares from soldiers around him. He heard soft, fast footsteps behind him and stopped.

It was Serena, panting slightly. She looked up at Calem, her bright blue eyes wide with concern. "I've gotta go tell Ash right now, will you be alright on your own? How did you get here?"

"Stand back," he said, looking up into the sky before whistling a short tune. In less than a minute, his large, bipedal dragon-type landed in front of them with a happy grunt.

"Missed you too," Calem said with a smile, giving Dragonite a pat while mounting.

"Wait," Serena called, running up beside Dragonite. "I don't know what to do… Will I see you again?"

Calem gave a small smile, before chuckling. "I'll probably die or disappear along with the rest of the Dracotorians, you know. There's no doubt you guys will beat us, with this warning."

Serena rolled her eyes playfully and smiled. "Of course not. You're free to take shelter in the castle, and I'm sure we'll spare you from whatever the battle plan is. Bye, Calem!" She waved as Dragonite flapped it's small, but strong wings.

"Later, Serena," he replied, holding a hand up. He turned to look up at the sky, but turned back for a moment. "Prepare for war."

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**A/N**: Hello again! This is just the start, so only very few of the characters that will be appearing have appeared. This story will go very deep, with a lot of different situations and scenarios that I've planned out. A lot of deep character backgrounds as well. I can say that this will be a long one, probably the longest I will end up writing!

Special thanks to Aureillia and CookiesNCreamNess for helping me out heaps!

Thanks for reading, and leaving a review will boost my will to write this a lot more than you think it will. (:

Which region would you be from?


	2. When The Dragons Fell

**A/N** Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews, they were seriously best and really encouraging! I do reply to all reviews via PM. (: And to Guest, I'm really glad you're loving it so far! Your review was really encouraging. (:

Anyway, two more main characters of the many yet to be introduced are introduced in this chapter. I present to you, May and Drew! :D

Enjoy!

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**II - When The Dragons Fell**

In the region of fire, Flarespyre, their princess stared from the window and out at her distant village. Her loyal Blaziken, who had been with her for her entire life, stood beside her obediently.

The village could be seen from the high up castle, with the port glistening in the sun like a large sapphire. Flarespyre was an extremely wealthy region, with huge trading industries and riches.

"Come in," she said, hearing a rushed knock on her door. Her bored, tired, royal blue eyes flickered to the door as it creaked open.

"Princess May," said a servant, bowing slightly as she entered, "there's urgent news that must be brought to your attention."

May stared blankly for a few moments, before sighing and leaning on the windowsill. "Go on."

"It's Dracotora. They're launching an attack on Celestia tonight, followed by Glacia. They will then proceed to invade other regions, if successful."

A spark of terror seemed to ignite in the princess' eyes. "So, you're saying a war is spreading?"

"Somewhat, yes. King Xavier II of Dracotora has told us that we will be spared from a series of attacks if we are to break our alliance with Floriade. They claim the grass is not worthy of existing and we shouldn't have an alliance with them," the reporter explained, not taking a breath as she spoke.

The petite princess walked forward and slammed a hand on the table, her soft brown hair falling over her shoulders. "We're the powerful land of fire." She narrowed her eyes, frowning. "We are _not_ breaking our alliance with anyone."

The informer sighed, looking slightly sympathetic for May. She shifted uncomfortably, hesitating.

"I'm afraid your mother already has."

* * *

News of the ceased alliance with Flarespyre spread like wildfire through the region of grass, Floriade. Unlike the wealthy, glistening Flarespyre, Floriade was a humble agricultural region with most people and Pokemon living in cottages or treehouses in the many woods surrounding the main town.

Even their orphaned prince, Drew Hayden, lived in a large treehouse rather than a castle. They couldn't exactly afford a castle, anyway.

Rare herbs which couldn't be found anywhere else could be bought in the town and found in forests, which is why most outsiders visited the region.

Drew sat on the edge of his treehouse's veranda, his legs dangling off the edge. He glared up at the sky, unbelievable stress engulfing his mind. He rubbed his temples, clicking in annoyance.

"Tch. They left us in fear of the dragons. Useless Flarespyrese people, they're just a bunch of gold-loving cowards."

He sat there for another minute, before jumping down the ladder. He headed out of the woods with his loyal Roserade following, and towards where his info broker resided.

Clad in his worn out leather boots and fitted clothing with a bow and a quiver full of arrows on his back, he made his way through the town. The place he was headed for was on the other side, past east of the town.

He received many bows from respectful citizens as he was of royalty. He also strode past many fawning girls, to which he smirked at, swooning at the sight of the handsome chartreuse-haired prince.

After crossing the town, he reached a large, grassy field with nothing but a small cottage and windmill, with some young Skiddo passing by with their parent. The mother Gogoat stared at Drew as he bent down to pet the baby Pokemon with no distrust in her eyes.

Finally, Drew reached the lonely cottage. It was the home of an old man whom Drew very much respected for his knowledge and wisdom.

"Hey gramps," Drew greeted as he entered the small home, smiling. He placed his large, well-made bow and quiver down, leaning them on the wooden wall. "Long time no see."

The older man, named Ramos, was seated by his wooden table as he sipped tea. He turned, his wrinkled face brightening at the sight of Drew. "My boy," he replied happily, standing up to meet the prince. He was stopped by Drew, who gently pushed him back to sit.

"Sit, gramps," Drew said, taking the seat on the opposite side of the handmade table. His dragon-like, emerald green eyes were clearly filled with concern. "I have some stuff to ask you."

"Anything for my boy," Ramos replied, chuckling. The amusement disappeared from his face a few moments later. "I think I know what you are wanting to ask me about. The war which will engulf the world soon, I am guessing?"

Drew sighed, leaning his chin on his palm. "Exactly that. And the fact that we're nearly defenceless against these dragons because the Flarespyrese decided to break our alliance."

"I'm sure you can take a few dragons down with those arrows, boy," Ramos said, chuckling as he shifted his gaze to the quiver full of arrows. "You are the best archer around after all."

The room grew silent, with Drew lost in thought. Ramos smiled, deciding to break the silence. "But fear not, I do believe that the ice and fairies will stop the dragons in their tracks. We have nothing to worry about."

Drew hummed in agreement, looking unconvinced but slightly more relieved. "So, when does fairy and ice versus dragon begin anyway? Next week?"

"My boy," Ramos began, looking slightly surprised. "It has already begun!"

* * *

Serena strode through her small home, cringing at the sight of the large, panicked crowds outside. Those who couldn't fight were to hide in the underground emergency cellars until the fighting was over. The fact that almost half the population in Celestia couldn't fight was causing major traffic in the towns.

News that the fierce, harsh, scary and powerful Dracotorians were attacking their town in a matter of hours didn't go well with them, after all.

"You're sure you want to fight?" her mother, Grace Yvonne, asked. She was heading out to join the crowds travelling to the castle, where the underground cellars were placed.

Serena nodded vigorously, her bright eyes glazed with determination. "I'll be fine, mum. The Glacians are gonna surprise them anyway, we're all safe." She pulled out a slim rapier from its sheath, which was attached to her hip.

She pulled out the gleaming sword into the light. "I have this and Sylveon with me, after all."

Grace sighed, but gave a small nod. "Alright, Serena. Put those sword-skill training lessons to use if needed, don't go swaying that around pointlessly okay?"

"Will do, mother-dearest," Serena replied, rolling her eyes playfully. She leaned on the counter, folding her arms. "You stay safe too, 'kay?"

The mother and daughter said their farewells, parting for the war which would begin shortly. Serena took a deep breath, her heart racing as the paths outside her house slowly cleared with all the crowds safe in hidden underground cellars.

She turned away and looked up into the sky, thinking about her friends and family. Particularly Ash, who had left the day before for Galvania, his home. Her eyes flickered down to Sylveon, who sat there licking its paw.

Her house and the outside was eerily dead and silent, as all the citizens that were joining the battles had to keep their lights off. The two regions were well prepared for the battle, thanks to Calem's warning.

It took another hour of doing nothing but drinking water, inspecting her sword, breathing deeply and shivering in anticipation until Serena heard the first distant roar. She quickly scurried up to the window of her room in her house, peering out carefully on her knees.

Her eyes widened.

She could see dark shadowy figures of hundreds – no, _thousands_ – of dragon-type Pokemon soaring through the clear, night sky and towards the main town near the castle. There were bright flashes of pink, silver and white light from the ground which were followed by fiery blasts which ranged from red to purple from the air.

Serena gulped, dithering on whether to wait in her home or head through the shadows and into the town where the main battle seemed to be happening. She wondered when the Glacians were meant to arrive, and when they were meant to seal the dragons in NeverMeltIce as planned.

_Bang. _

The honey-blonde yelped in surprise, instantly putting a hand on her sword's handle. She slowly stood up, pulling the rapier out of its sheath as she did.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

The noises seemed to be coming from the roof, and it sounded like a heavy bipedal creature walking on it.

"Let's go outside," Serena whispered to Sylveon, who followed closely at her heels. She headed out the back door silently, instantly trying to catch a glimpse of what was on her roof. It all seemed calm and silent for a moment, then all hell broke loose.

The ear-splitting roar of a Garchomp shattered the silence around Serena's house. It landed a mere two metres from her and Sylveon, its owner leaping off the roof after it. He was a Dracotorian soldier, armed with a sword and shield.

He chuckled, grinning sadistically. "Celestia is weaker than I thought. Cute girls as soldiers?" He smirked, bringing out his sword. "It's a shame that I'll have to rid of you. Maybe I'll have some fun first?"

Serena glared at him with disgust, gritting her teeth. Drawing out her slender sword, she said, "Your dragons can't do anything to us. Have you forgotten who we are? We're the fairies, the ones who make you _powerless_."

"We were meant to ambush, but it seems someone tipped you off didn't they?" the soldier said, ignoring the seething blonde's words. "If you happen to know who it is and you tell me, I'll spare your life."

She snorted, suddenly lunging at him with her sword. "Over my smashed perfume bottles." The rapier narrowly missed her opponent's abdomen, scraping his side instead. "Sylveon, moonblast that Garchomp!"

The soldier hissed at the pain, growling in anger. He raised his sword to attack, but Serena quickly countered and the two sparred for quite a while. The chance flashed by, when the soldier staggered back for a moment, for Serena to lunge in and wound him in a leg.

She did so, knocking him back to the ground. He yelped in pain, unable to move his right leg at all. Serena winced, and her innocence got the best of her. She quickly rushed into her house as she sheathed her sword.

Serena fumbled around for a kitchen towel in the dark kitchen, finally grabbing one. She brought it outside and stood in front of the fallen soldier.

"Here," she told the soldier as she dropped the thick towel in front of him, "use this to slow the bleeding."

He turned away, refusing to accept the aid from the Celestian.

"Suit yourself," Serena replied with a shrug as she turned away. "Let's go Sylveon," she said to her Pokémon, which had knocked out the huge land shark Pokémon.

Sylveon looked up at her questioningly, curious as to their next move. Serena grinned, looking up at the main castle village where the main battle was occurring.

"We're going to go say hi to Calem."

* * *

The sound of piercing metal clashing, roars, cries and yells had completely engulfed the village nearby to the castle.

Calem, the Dracotorian prince, was perched on a castle wall and waiting. He knew there was no point fighting; the opponents were going to win anyway. He watched as the two teams clashed, scanning the crowds for anyone he could possibly know.

A flash of blonde hair in the midst caught his attention. As he looked closer, he realised it was none other than the girl he had met earlier in Celestia. The one who helped him into the castle, the one who helped him warn Diantha.

_What's her name again? Selena? Serena? That's right, Serena. _

He smirked, turning to leap off the high castle wall. After making his way down quickly, he spotted Serena peering over the corner of a wall and scanning the crowd frantically.

He chuckled silently, stepping through the empty part of the castle courtyard. It was pretty, with stone tiles and leafy vines growing over the enclosed space.

"Looking for someone?"

Serena whipped around, drawing her sword at the speed of light as she did. After realising who it was, her alarmed expression calmed. She breathed out, smiling slightly. "For you, actually."

"And why's that?" he replied, taking small steps closer to her. He chuckled, amusement glinting in his eyes. "You crushed on me that hard?"

The Celestian's face went bright red as she pointed her light, slender sword dangerously at him. "I happen to be interested in someone else, _actually_."

"Woah, woah, woah, if you wanted to fight you could've just said so," he said jokingly, drawing his own sword. It was large, black and looked quite heavy. A ghost of a smirk appeared on his face. "I suppose it's inevitable anyway."

Serena's eyes widened at the sight of his sword. It looked important, something only a person of great significance could wield. Then, they narrowed in thought.

_Who are you?_

She shook out the thoughts and held up her own sword, a slight smile on her face. "Don't underestimate me because I'm a girl."

Calem smirked challengingly, flicking his finger tauntingly. "Come at me."

Serena did as she was told, lunging at him with the rapier. Calem effortlessly blocked the jab with his large sword, knocking her back. She recovered quickly, and the two sparred for what seemed for forever, with Serena trying to hit attacks and Calem blocking easily.

It seemed like a perfectly timed dance that just lacked the music.

The prince seemed to get bored, and finally decided to counter attack. Serena dodged and dodged, stepping backwards as she did. Then her back hit a wall, and she closed her eyes, wincing, and braced for impact from her opponent's sword.

Serena's eyes opened, as the impact never came, to see Calem holding his sword up to her neck. Frankly, she was stuck, pinned to the wall. His face was extremely close to hers, she could hear him breathing down her neck.

"Is that all you got?" he said into her ear quietly, still holding the sword up against her neck. "I could end your life right now, Celestian."

The honey-blonde gulped, holding her breath. She could feel the cold weapon against her skin. Her heart was beating faster than she thought was possible. "Then why don't you?" she replied, equally as quiet.

After a few moments, Calem stepped back and took the sword off her neck. He stared at her with amusement. "You really thought I was going to kill you, didn't you?"

Serena stared at him incredulously for a moment, before falling to her knees and letting out a long, relieved breath. "Oh my Xerneas… I thought I was going to die. That was seriously not funny."

Calem let out a small laugh, sheathing his sword. He looked towards the main battlefield, hearing loud, fearful yells. "Speaking of Xerneas…"

He turned and gazed at the battlefield, A.K.A the castle courtyard, to see an amazing sight. There was Xerneas, the majestic fairy type legendary, launching attacks at the Dracotorians in attempts to help its region.

Serena followed his gaze, and a huge smile grew on her face at the sight of the colourful deer. "I can't believe it," she breathed, "we're so going to win this!"

Calem raised a brow, turning to her. "What's your plan to get rid of us?"

"Well, the Glacians should be here any moment now," Serena began, looking slightly sad. "They're going to freeze every Dracotorian and dragon-type Pokemon they see in NeverMeltIce. But come with me, I'll save you for sure!"

Calem shook his head, sighing. "You can't do that." He paused, looking uncomfortable, before looking away from the innocent Celestian. "I'm probably someone who has to be frozen, no matter what."

Serena narrowed her eyes, confused. "What do you mean? Why –"

A beautiful, majestic cry was heard from above, bringing along a rush of freezing cold air. Calem's eyes widened as he spotted the creature, and it was none other than Articuno, the legendary ice type Pokemon.

The agile bird hovered over the courtyard, dodging the many attacks being sent its way. A rumble like a stampede could be heard in the distance, from the way Articuno had come from.

"The Glacians are here," Serena stated, her eyes widening. She grabbed Calem's arm and dragged him along with her into the outdoor corridors of the castle.

"What're you doing?" he asked as they ran along, Serena desperately looking around for an entrance into the castle. She spotted one, her face lighting up as she did.

"I'm hiding you, hiding you from being frozen. If it wasn't for you, thousands of Celestians would've died today you know. If anyone deserves to live, it's you."

Calem sighed, shaking his head. "You're right, my region needs me to –" He stopped abruptly in his sentence. "Uh, they'll need me… to help them if the time comes."

"Are you some warrior or something?" she asked as she led him through empty castle halls, and into a small, dark room. It had a good view through its windows, and they could see the ice-types already in the process of permanently freezing the many dragons.

"I guess you could say that," Calem replied with a shrug, sliding down the wall until he was seated on the ground.

"Then why do you want your region to be defeated here?" Serena asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity as she sat on the floor in front of him. Her Sylveon took a seat beside her, licking its paw contently.

The only light in the room was from the moonlight that shone through the window, creating shadows around the room.

"Because it'll stop this world from being engulfed in war," he replied, looking away. "If we did win, the only region that would be spared from our wrath would probably be Flarespyre."

Serena smiled warmly, though it wasn't visible to Calem in the dark. "I'm glad you did stop that, then. I've always wanted to visit Skyglade and Pandora, what fun would it be if it was invaded by dragons?"

"Perhaps I'll tag along with you," Calem replied, with a tone of longing in his voice. He fell silent, staring into the floor. "Maybe someday I'll be able to."

_I need to stop running away from the truth. I'm the prince of Dracotora, I'll never have the freedom to go on adventures. _

"Thanks for sparing my life earlier, by the way," came Serena's voice, slightly sheepishly. "You really do have a pure heart."

_Yet I keep lying to you, I haven't told you who I really am. _

"It was nothing," Calem forced out, gritting his teeth. He was grateful of the fact that the darkness hid his facial expressions from Serena.

There was a short silence between the two, before loud, victorious yells could be heard from outside. Both of them scrambled up, gazing out of the window to see the cause.

The sight was amazing, it seemed like the castle courtyard was a dragon-themed ice sculpture showcase. All the Dracotorian soldiers, and their king, were frozen completely in hard, unbreakable ice.

"Let's go," Serena breathed, turning to leave. Calem followed reluctantly, hiding his face as they appeared in the courtyard.

The Glacian soldiers were giving aid to the Celestians, with the ice and fairy type Pokemon helping along as well. Many were staring at the frozen Dracotorian soldiers and Pokemon, touching and feeling in awe.

Calem approached one, and it was none other than the Dracotorian king. His father. He touched it, immediately pulling away his hand as it stung at the touch of ice.

"Oh, you Dracotorians can't stand ice," Serena said, watching as Calem hissed in pain. A grim look appeared on her face as she stared into the statue of ice. "It must've been extremely painful to be frozen. It would've felt like they were burning… I'm really sorry, Calem."

"It doesn't matter, don't worry about it," he replied, turning away. His eyes shifted to Serena, who was staring deep into his father's frozen face.

"Hey," she said, stepping closer to the statue, "he has the same eyes as –"

"Serena!"

Both Serena and Calem turned to locate the source of the voice, spotting a short, relieved brunette waving at Serena.

Serena grinned, waving back. "Shauna! Did you fight too?"

The two Celestians hugged, before pulling away and looking excitedly at each other. Shauna's green eyes flickered to Serena's Dracotorian companion. They widened instantly.

Shauna took a step back, pointing at Calem. "I-it's you! What're you still doing here?" She turned to Serena in concern. "What are you doing with him? He can't be trusted."

Serena let out a small laugh, confused. "What're you on about? This is Calem, he's Dracotorian but he's harmless. Trust me."

"No, Serena, that's not just any Dractorian," Shauna replied seriously, shaking her head. "That's the one and only _prince_ of Dracotora."

* * *

Far away from Celestia, in the ghostly region of Crematoria, unstable spirits skittered around the gloomy, dead town.

These were no pure spirits, these were evil, darker than any other. The sense of war and the dragons' dark lust for power had brought them out from the shadows.

Crematoria had few Pokemon and even fewer humans, but once it had been happily bustling with people and Pokemon alike. Events that had occurred had turned it into quite literally; a ghost town. It had no kingdom, no ruler, no army.

It's not like anyone ever visited the haunted land anyway.

However, on this one night of the dragons' defeat, the dark spirits rose from the shadows and hovered about excitedly.

By morning, they were gone. Gone from Crematoria and headed towards none else than the region of ice, Glacia, where the frozen dragons were going to be placed for eternity.

* * *

**A/N **Why do you think the spirits are headed towards the frozen dragons? :D And yes, that was the grass-type gym leader of Kalos, Ramos, at the start!

Also, do you like how May and Drew are portrayed? May, the peace-loving princess who's always stuck in the castle and Drew, the poor-ish prince of Floriade that is an archer! And no, not everyone will be royal in this story. XD

Reviews, follows and favs are highly appreciated! (:


	3. When The Chaos Took Over

**A/N **Hello! Sorry for the slow update, I'm really busy because I'm studying for an entrance exam in June. But after that, updates will go back to frequent. :)

Ash, Misty and Leaf are properly introduced in this chapter. ^-^

**Replies to guest reviews:**

blacknebularstar: Thank you so much! :D

Raichflame: I'm so glad you're so enthusiastic about this! Dawn and Paul should be introduced in chapter four or five. :) I love Clarity. And what's your request? There is still a very long way to go with this story, it won't be ending anytime soon!

Guest: Thank you! Aha, good guesses but not quite. :P

Thank you for all your reviews, I hope to hear from you again!

* * *

**III- When Chaos Took Over**

In the land of psychic, Pandora, the pink crystal caves were beginning to grow concerned as turmoil spread its way through the region. The Pandorians and psychic Pokémon could sense chaos, death and darkness in the nearby future.

The problem was; they didn't know what could possibly be the cause, as most of the evil in their world was rid by the fall of Dracotora. What made their uneasiness grow was that most of the other regions brushed them off, ridiculing Pandora.

Pandora was a large, mountain-like region where everyone lived in large or small pink crystal caves. The main town was outdoors, but enclosed in a mystical, pink aura and small outbreaks of the same pink crystals.

One of the most powerful psychic seers, Sabrina, stood outside one small cave with her arms crossed. She raised her eyebrows at the sight in front of her. Leaf Greene, an orphaned citizen of Pandora, was kneeled on the ground with wide eyes, covering her ears. She shook with fear, shaking her head ever so often.

"Leaf," Sabrina said calmly, approaching the young brunette. Her call was unanswered, so she narrowed her dark pink eyes and said, "Leaf Greene. Talk to me."

Slowly, Leaf turned her head to Sabrina and uncovered her ears. "Destruction," she began quietly, staring past Sabrina like she wasn't there. "Evil, terror, power and… love."

After that, she blinked blankly and stared around the room with her large brown eyes. She spotted Sabrina staring into her, taken aback.

"Lady Sabrina," Leaf breathed, getting up to her feet dizzily and bowing. She gazed around her crystal cave, confused. "May I ask what happened? And perhaps why you're visiting me?"

"You were distressed," Sabrina replied monotonously, her cold eyes staring into Leaf's own innocent ones. "It seemed like you were having a vision of the incoming, Leaf. However, I do not know how that is possible…"

Leaf let out a small chuckle, before smiling sadly to herself. "You must be mistaken. I'll never be able to be strong, we all know that." She stared down at the floor, narrowing her eyes.

She was always the weakest of her age group, not being able to control simple telekinesis and easy predictions like those of her age group could. She was the runt of the litter, and not even the strongest could have such a vision.

"It seems so," Sabrina replied, turning away. She headed out of the cave, looking back over her shoulder. "If you really did see this vision, then all I can say is I bid you good luck, Leafia Greene."

* * *

"You're going back to Dracotora tomorrow, aren't you?"

Calem didn't bother turning to see who was talking to him; he knew the voice well enough already. He was comfortable seated in the warm, luminescent grass of Celestia with his legs sprawled.

He gave a small nod, humming. "Yeah. It'll be kinda hard to face everyone who's still left there. I'll have to visit the legendaries too, they're probably concerned and might cause trouble."

Serena smiled, sitting down beside him. "Whatever might happen, do remember that you did a deed that no other Dracotorian would do."

The boy beside her chuckled, petting his Dragonite that was asleep beside him in the glowing grass. It was breathtaking at night, the luminescent green field contrasting the darkness.

"I think I'll actually miss this place."

Serena returned a chuckle, nodding. There was a long silence between them, before Serena got up to her feet, brushing the dust off her knees. "Let's go back, my mum'll be wondering where we are. Plus, you gotta leave nice and early tomorrow."

Replying with a simple nod, the prince of Dracotora stood up and followed Serena through the field and back into the large town. He decided to leave his Dragonite sleeping peacefully, as he could call it with a simple whistle.

"You're lucky Diantha pardoned you," the honey-blonde said as they walked through the quiet village. It was late at night, so the usually bustling town was quiet and dead. "I still can't believe _you're_ the prince.

Calem rolled his eyes, about to reply to his recently-made friend, before stopping abruptly. Serena turned, raising an eyebrow as he stood there and stared at her monotonously.

"Um, Calem?" Her eyes narrowed as she noticed his irises flashing a bright shade of red, before turning back to their original grey colour. "Hello?"

He seemed to snap out of his daze, blinking in confusion. "What just happened?" he asked, looking down at himself. "It just felt like… like I lost consciousness for a moment."

"Weird," Serena murmured, her eyes still narrowed. She decided to keep the information about the flash of red in his eyes to herself, brushing it off. She turned back around on the path, signalling to Calem. "Come on, let's go."

Soon, the pair reached Serena's house. Her mother was in the main room, reading a book. She looked up, her gaze on Calem.

"Diantha informed us that the frozen Dractorians reached Glacia hours ago, Calem. She told me to let you know."

Calem shot her a smile, nodding. "Thank you, Mrs. Yvonne –"

"I told you, call me Grace," Serena's mother interrupted, chuckling.

"Thanks for the hospitality, Grace," he replied respectfully, bowing slightly. "I'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow morning, so I don't think I'll be seeing you."

After pre-farewells with Grace, Calem followed Serena into her small room. The two chatted for a while, Calem randomly losing consciousness suddenly as he did in the town.

"What's wrong?" Serena finally questioned. "You keep freezing and your eyes, I'm sure I see them flash red. It happens for longer every time, as well…"

Almost as if on cue, it suddenly happened again. He seemed to pause, staring into nowhere. But this time, his eyes didn't flash red.

They _stayed_ red.

* * *

The princess of Flarespyre, Maybelle Maple, strode into the large royal hall, pushing the double doors open with a strong push with both her hands.

The long, red cape of her dress flowed behind her like a carpet of fire as she walked up in front of the smaller throne. Her Blaziken followed behind her obediently, almost like a bodyguard.

"Mother," she said, looking up at the elder woman, who looked strikingly similar to herself, approaching the throne. "I want to know why you cut off this alliance with Floriade in such a crucial time."

The queen, Caroline, sighed. "It's what Norman would've done, May. The _dragons_ were attacking. Our main priority is our own people, not those from Floriade."

"Don't you bring father into this," May replied, narrowing her eyes. She turned away, her face softening. "He left us, along with Max. So don't talk about them, they're not part of Flarespyre anymore.

Both of them fell silent for a moment, before May interrupted the silence once more. "The dragons are gone, and now Floriade won't accept our alliance. They've lost their trust in us, mother."

May's mother was about to reply, when a soldier came in through the doors with a note in his hand. He said, with an alarmed expression on his face, "Princess May, I wouldn't quite say they're gone yet."

The princess whipped around, confused. She frowned at the soldier. "What do you mean?"

"It's Glacia," he began, clearing his throat. "They're saying that the eyes inside the frozen Dracotorians and their Pokemon are glowing –" He paused, almost as if he didn't believe what we was reading. "The eyes, they're glowing red… and the ice is beginning to melt."

"How is that possible?" Caroline injected from above, in her throne. She looked concerned, but unconvinced as well. "Weren't they frozen in the legendary NeverMeltIce?"

The soldier nodded, looking away. "I'm not sure what's going on, your highness. But we will try to solve it."

Caroline hummed in agreement, turning to look at her daughter. "Keep Blaziken with you at all times, May. It seems like the Dracotorians aren't quite finished yet."

May nodded, thoughts swirling around her mind as she turned back to face her mother. "All we can do now is wait for Glacia's word."

* * *

Serena ducked as her large lamp was thrown at her, the appliance smashing into pieces into the wall behind her. "What's gotten into you?!" she yelled in confusion. She dodged another item that was powerfully thrown at her. "This isn't you, Calem!"

Sylveon clawed at Calem violently, but was easily flicked off. It recoiled and bared its teeth, growling.

"Stand down, Sylveon," Serena commanded, her Pokemon reluctantly obeying. She looked up at the Dracotorian prince, narrowing her eyes. "Calem. Talk to me. What's happened?"

Calem stood there in her large room, his irises glowing a deep red. He stopped for a moment and smirked at the distressed Celestian. "This is the true me." He brought his hand up, admiring it. "I feel so… _powerful_. Like a true Dracotorian."

"No," Serena replied instantly, shaking her head vigorously. "I saw the true you. You're possessed, Calem." She walked up to him slowly, cautiously but confidently. She looked him straight in the eye, bright blue eyes contrasting with blood red. "Snap out of it. Please?"

He seemed to stare into Serena's hopeful eyes for a moment, before chuckling darkly. "Have you ever been out of this useless region? Seen the true power of Pokemon, the evil in this world? No, you haven't. I don't suggest you travel around after today with that sort of naïve mind, child."

"You're only two years older than me," she muttered in reply, rolling her eyes. "And what's so bad about travelling around after today?"

He swiftly turned and headed to her bedroom window, gracefully and efficiently smashing the large window with an effortless kick. His Dragonite appeared by the window, with a luminous red tinge in its eye.

"This world will become a dark, dark place," he replied as he swiftly jumped onto the dragon-type. His cold eyes flickered to Serena, a slight smirk present on his face. "I'm sparing your life for now, Serena Yvonne. It won't happen again."

Simply with that, Dragonite was off with a sudden powerful boost of energy. Serena rushed to her window, staring out through it to see where they were.

To her surprise, they were already almost out of sight. She stared after him until he was nothing but a tiny speck in the distance, her mouth wide open. She turned back to Sylveon after a minute, her expression dead serious.

"We're going after him, Sylvie."

* * *

"_Glacia has been overcome by the risen Dracotorians who have miraculously melted their way out of Glacia's NeverMeltIce. Here are some of the shocking images which our team have captured." _

Ash Ketchum, a top battler in Galvania took a large bite out of his hot dog as he watched the news. He was comfortably seated on his couch in his modern apartment. "Hmm… whadduya think Pikachu?"

Pikachu, the small electric mouse Pokemon twitched its ears uncomfortably as it stared up at the television. It didn't reply as it continued watching, its large brown eyes narrowed.

There was a sudden knock on the door, a surprised Ash hopping off the couch to go and open it. He grinned at his visitors as he allowed them in.

"Brock," he greeted as the guest entered. "Why're you here? You didn't tell me you were coming. You know, even though Krystalacia is right next door."

The tanned Krystalacian took a seat on a leather armchair, a grim aura surrounding him. "The Dracotorians are already infiltrating Krystalacia. I got all of my family out of there, they're here now. And the thing is, Ash, I'm positive they're heading here next."

Ash blinked, scratching his messy raven hair. He collapsed on the couch, confused. "Whadduya mean they're infiltrating? Why would they do that to us?"

"Think about it," Brock replied, leaning forwards. "What makes Krystalacia and Galvania so powerful? What do we produce so much of?"

Ash hesitated for a moment, before his eyes widened. "Electricity, energy… and they need this. So they're gonna take over the place?" He paused, chuckling. "Like hell they will! I'll show em' what the best battler here is capable of. Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

There was no reply.

"Pikachu?" he asked, turning to his Pokemon. He narrowed his eyes Pikachu's uneasy expression. "What's wrong?"

"_It is now confirmed that the Dracotorians have moved onto Krystalacia and have taken over the coal power plants, as well as the main city! They are predicted to move further west to neighbouring region Galvania. Will anyone stop these monsters?!"_

Ash stared in anger at the television, fuelled the words and the sight before his eyes. He stood up, turning to Brock, dead serious.

"I'm heading to the port," he said, clenching his fist. "Gear up, we're fighting. I'm not going to let these crooks destroy my city just like that."

* * *

Half an hour later, Ash and Brock arrived at the large port of the modern electric city. The bay headed south, the underwater city of Aquafina nearby. The usually bustling seaside walk was mostly deserted, the Galvanians hiding out in their homes.

"I have a feeling we're going to see a Salamence crashing through a building –"

Brock was cut off by an extremely loud explosion, followed by yelling and screaming nearby. Surely enough, a raging Flygon was seen crashing through buildings and destroying things uncontrollably.

It was followed by Salamence, wreaking havoc on the streets. Many different trainers tried to take it down, but were thrown back at the sheer force of its powerful roars.

"Close enough," Brock said, shrugging. "And Ash, I forgot to tell you. These guys are so strong now that only three of them could lock down our entire region. Not to mention that you electrics don't do much damage to these guys at all." He paused, realising that no one was beside him. "Ash?"

The raven-haired teenager was sprinting towards the angry Flygon, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Hey, you! Flygon!"

The dragon-type turned, its blood-red eyes narrowed. It screeched loudly, sending a small shockwave through the ground. It then launched itself at Ash, swiping violently with its claw.

He somersaulted to the side, dodging the dragon claw attack and grinned. "Pikachu, use hidden power!"

The hidden power was ice type, and Flygon hissed in pain at the impact from Pikachu but shook it off easily. It turned, angered even more than before and stared at Ash.

Ash stared back blankly, realising he had underestimated the dragon. He stepped back slowly, picking up Pikachu. "Uh-oh…"

Releasing an angered screech, Flygon quickly slashed a claw at Ash. The force threw him, along with the electric mouse in his arms, backwards. It left a large, bloody injury on the site of impact – his abdomen.

The dragon then grabbed him with its claws and launched itself into the sky. It glided over the port and into the ocean, before releasing Ash and Pikachu from its grasp.

Ash yelled in terror, holding Pikachu tight in his arms as they fell into the deep, dark ocean. They continued to sink, and sink, until the light of the surface was just a dim light into the distance.

The last thing he felt before he blacked out from the lack of air was a strong, warm hand tugging him. How that was possible, he didn't know. He didn't have the time to think about it anyway.

* * *

"_Who is he?" _

"_Dunno, he was just sinking when I found him. I couldn't just leave him, you know." _

Eyelids slowly opened, revealing a pair of large, chocolate brown eyes. The vision in them slowly cleared, as the owner, Ash Ketchum, sat up. He rubbed his eyes, before staring around at his surroundings.

He was in a small room, sitting up on a bed. His gaze met that one of a girl who looked around his age. She had stunning turquoise eyes and short, orange hair that fell over her shoulders, along with bangs framing her face.

Beside her there was an older woman who looked slightly similar to the ginger, but had wavy blue hair and purple eyes. She had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised at Ash as she turned to him.

"Um, excuse me. Could you tell me where I am? And where Pikachu is?"

"You're in Aquafina," the girl with the sea-green eyes explained. She smiled slightly. "I'm Misty, I brought you here. Your Pikachu is fine, he's just resting."

"Right," Ash replied, nodding slowly. He scratched his head timidly, grinning sheepishly. "Uh, could I also ask why you brought me here?"

This seemed to annoy Misty, as her right eye twitched for a moment. She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "Do you not remember anything? You were drowning in the ocean, and you were really lucky I was swimming around at the time. I don't know what happened, but you also have a really bad injury."

Everything seemed to click into place in Ash's mind at that moment. How the Dracotorians thawed out and already overcame Glacia and Krystalacia and were attacking his region. The Flygon that attacked him and threw him into the ocean. It all made sense.

"Whatever, Sis. You just like, take care of him," the woman said without interest, leaving the room.

Misty rolled her eyes at her sister, before turning back to Ash. She walked up to him, running her hand over his bandaged abdomen. "You were clawed by something vicious, it seemed like. Was it one of those dragon-types?"

Slightly taken aback, Ash nodded. "Y-yeah. I thought I was strong enough to face it alone, but really I was no match for it. Will my stomach be okay? I can still eat right?"

Misty sighed, nodding. "Yes, you can still eat. But that's not going to heal without special treatment. I'll need to visit Floriade tomorrow, to find the herbs to heal you. I love Floriade, so it'll just be a trip for me."

Ash grinned toothily, showing genuine appreciation. "Thank you so much!" He held out his hand, the grin reducing to a cheerful smile. "I'm Ash, by the way."

Misty smiled, taking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Ash." She paused, chuckling. "Well, I hope it is."

* * *

**A/N** Yaaay, I finally introduced Pokeshipping! Hm hm, Floriade? What will happen there? Perhaps... Contestshipping? *winks*

A lot of action and shipping in the next chapter. :3 I hope you liked this one!

I mentioned in my profile that I might draw what I imagine each region to look like, and even a map. Then upload it to deviantart and link you guys. What do you think?

Reviews, favs and follows are highly appreciated. :)

-ShinyDragonair2


	4. When The Prince Failed

**A/N **I'm back! Sorry for the super late update (hey, that rhymed!), exams and stuff... Anyway, I am back after my temporary hiatus!

Here's a sum up of what's happened so far, in case you've all forgotten LOL.

-Calem is the prince of Dracotora and become evil because the dragons are possessed and really strong.  
-Ash was attacked by dragons and saved by Misty.  
-Misty was going to Floriade to bring some herbs to heal Ash's poison.  
-Serena is planning to follow Calem to Dracotora.

Anyway, feel free to skim read the previous chapter if you're confused and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**IV- When The Prince Failed **

Effortlessly and elegantly, Misty's large, powerful Gyarados exited the dry dome, out into the endless ocean. With its owner on its back, it swam up and over the surface of the ocean. Misty turned back to see the magical dome covering Aquafina and trapping air, the force field held up by the powers of the legendary water Pokemon.

The people of Aquafina had the special gift of being able to breathe underwater for a lengthy amount of time, over half an hour at a time.

She held tightly onto Gyarados' back as it arose above the surface, floating atop the tidal water. Her fiery locks drooped soggily over her wet clothes, but she simply shrugged it off.

It took an hour for the large serpent Pokemon to reach the sandy shore of Floriade. Their port wasn't much – just a simple pier and a few posts to tie up small wooden boats to keep them from floating away. It was also deserted, unlike the bustling, market-like port of Flarespyre.

Misty slid off Gyarados, petting the intimidating creature with gratitude. It roared a goodbye, before turning and diving into the ocean.

She turned and headed up small dunes of sand, reaching large, grassy fields. It was serene – the grass swaying gently in the mild air, along with a combination of the sun and fluffy clouds in the sky.

In the distance, her large, sea-green eyes spotted the small town with smoke billowing out small chimneys. She breathed in the fresh aroma of flowers as she happily ventured through the peaceful fields.

Finally, she reached the small town. It was busy, with small stalls selling various things such as garments, food, tools and wood. The stall Misty was looking for, however, was a special one that sold remedial herbs.

"Good morning," she greeted, approaching the wooden stall and the elderly woman standing behind it.

The woman smiled in return feebly, saying, "Good morning. What can I do for you today?"

"I'm looking for a special herb," Misty began, scanning the contents on the wooden table, "one that heals human wounds from dragon attacks. About a bagful of it would be enough, if I may."

The woman's face fell slightly at Misty's words. Her gaze shifted away from Misty as she said, "Oh, I really do apologise. Recently, it's been in a lot of demand and they're out of stock."

Disappointment flashed in Misty's delicate face, but she quickly covered it with a polite, feigned smile. "No, that's alright. Would you possibly be able to tell me the name of the herb, and where I might find it?"

The woman hesitated, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. "It's called antiavirulent, but I don't exactly know where it is found –"

"I do."

Misty turned around, looking for the source of the interjection. She was surprised to connect gazes with a handsome boy with emerald, dragon-like eyes who looked around her age. "Really? Who are you?" she asked, peering at him curiously.

He chuckled, before smirking. "You're in my region, and you don't even know my name?"

Misty raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "_Your_ region?" She turned, as the woman who ran the stall behind her gasped slightly.

The woman bowed her head, before she looked back up with a loving, happy smile on her face. "Oh, Prince Drew. It is lovely to see you! Forgive me for not noticing you earlier, your highness."

Misty turned back to face Drew, her eyes wide. "You're the prince of Floriade? Oh, uh, I'm sorry –er, your highness."

"Don't worry about it," he replied to both females nonchalantly, nodding his head respectfully to the stall keeper. His deep gaze shifted to Misty, before he said, "I'll show you where you can find antiavirulent, but in return, you'll tell me everything you know about these dragons."

"Deal," Misty replied confidently, without any hesitation.

Drew smirked, before turning to walk away. "Follow me, then. You can tell me as we walk."

Nodding, the ginger Aquafinian followed Drew through the quaint town. She gazed at her surroundings, stopping by a small child who looked up at her in fascination.

"Your hair is so pretty," the child said, fascinated at the sight of Misty's fiery locks. She had slightly tanned skin, cheeks charred with dirt and messy chocolate hair.

Misty chuckled, smiling widely at the compliment. "Thank you," she replied, before the child waved and skipped away.

Drew, who had stopped a few steps ahead, looked back and slightly smiled. He waited for the visitor to catch up, before saying, "So, where are you from?"

"I'm from Aquafina," she replied proudly. "The person who I need the herb for is from Galvania, though. He was hurt pretty badly when the dragons attacked his region. Apparently they melted from this so-called eternal frozen ice, attacked Glacia, and then Krystalacia and then Galvania. I'm not sure about their next target."

Drew hummed, nodding. "Interesting. So they began with Celestia, then they were frozen. Then you're saying they attacked Krystalacia and Galvania… probably because of all the energy those two regions produce." He paused as they continued walking out of the town, and into the woods.

"But to overcome this many regions so quickly," he continued, his eyebrows furrowing in thought, "how powerful are these guys?"

"My friend described them as 'crazy' and 'overpowered'," Misty replied, gazing around at her stunning surroundings. The trees were tall, rays of sunlight spilling through gaps in the canopy. "He said the Flygon he encountered had a red glow to its eye. That's pretty much all I know."

Drew shifted his eyes to her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really?" His gaze moved back forward, unmindfully staring into the distance. "That concerns me." He stopped, turning back to stare at a certain tree. "Oh, your antiavirulent should grow here."

He crouched down by the tree, before pulling out a large quantity of a plant growing by the trunk. He stood up, handing it to Misty. "Here. Use only the leaves of it, make a paste out of it and then spread it over the wound. Your boyfriend will be fine with this."

"My boyfriend?" Misty asked, raising her eyebrows. She stared at Drew expectantly, folding her arms.

"Well," Drew began with a chuckle, "it sounds like this 'friend' of yours is a lover."

Misty rolled her eyes, before smiling and taking the bunch of herbs, putting it away in a small pouch. "Thank you so much, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't of eavesdropped."

Drew raised an eyebrow playfully, chuckling. "That's some way to put it," he replied, as they turned to walk out of the woods.

There was a silence between them for a while, before the prince spoke up gingerly. "I'm concerned for my region. Flarespyre broke their alliance with us and there's no way our town can fight these beasts. We're totally defenceless, you Aquafinians are lucky you have all that water protecting you."

Misty turned to him sympathetically, saying, "Perhaps you could talk it out with them?" Then, she smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm sure you can take them down with all those impressive arrows."

Drew laughed forcibly, the feigned mood not going unnoticed by Misty. "There's no way I'm going to beg to those cowards."

The two headed through the woods, and finally reached the outskirts of the town. Both of them stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide.

Smoke, a lot of smoke, was billowing out of the town, with parts of the town and fields on fire. Faint screams and roars could be heard, with several large dragon type Pokemon circling the town whilst viciously firing beams of fire and power.

Drew broke into a sprint, headed straight towards the town. Misty followed, yelling, "Hey, wait up!"

He didn't stop until he reached the town, looking up for the sight of his enemies. Misty finally reached his side, leaning on her knees and panting.

"What's happen–"

"Move!" Drew yelled, cutting off Misty mid-sentence. He jumped, tackling Misty along with him and rolled to the side as a Noivern narrowly missed them with a dragon pulse attack.

"Go back, Misty," Drew said hastily.

"I can't just leave you guys in this state."

"Your friend needs you," Drew shot back, his eyes narrowing. He turned back, looking up to the Noivern that was charging up for another attack. "This is my duty, anyway. I'm the prince, remember?"

He stood up in an instant, drawing his bow and loading an arrow in a matter of seconds. He then aimed and shot the arrow straight into one of the Noivern's wings. It came crashing down to the ground, screeching in pain.

"Go!" he yelled, drawing another arrow to his bow as the Noivern lashed out in rage. It roared loudly, destroying a small building beside it in anger.

Reluctantly, Misty retreated away as the Noivern was distracted. She broke into a faster pace, before looking back at Drew as he narrowly dodged an attack. Wincing, she turned back and sprinted for the shore.

After weaving through many distressed civillians, she finally made it to the other side of the town and back to the empty fields. Misty then broke into a sprint, not willing to be detected by a dragon. She reached the small dunes of the soft, sandy shore, making her way to the water.

Misty hummed a soft tune to summon Gyarados, staring up at the sky as she did so. Her eyes narrowed, before widening as they noticed a large avian Pokemon heading towards her. It was a Salamence. Not just any Salamence, an angry, red-eyed one.

It was flying straight towards her, charging up an attack. With every millisecond it grew closer, and closer.

"Now, Gyarados," Misty said, sensing the underwater presence of her loyal Pokemon. She stood sideways, narrowing her eyes and elegantly pointing to the Salamence. "Ice fang!"

The large water serpent leapt out of the ocean head-first, grabbing the Salamence in its massive, ice-powered jaws. The Salamence roared in agony as it was dragged underwater with Gyarados.

After a few moments, the dragon broke free and managed to weakly fly out of the water, before landing on the shore near Misty. However, it took no notice of her and coughed out water, staggering around dizzily. Then, it collapsed onto the sand –totally unconscious.

Misty breathed out in relief, heading over to Gyarados to mount it. Before she did, she took a look at the unconscious Salamence. Its eyes were closed, and it looked quite peaceful. Like any normal Pokemon would.

She turned back, petting the Gyarados and stared out into the sea with her aqua eyes.

"Let's go home."

* * *

"Princess May," a soldier said, entering the royal teenager's large room. "The Dractorians are bringing the captured civilians from Floriade here. They are telling us to keep the Floriadese with us, your highness. What do you propose we do with them?"

"Do we have any choice?" May replied sharply, sighing to herself. "I would treat them nicely… but we can't bring ourselves in danger of these dragons." She paused, turning to look out of the window. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of a large commotion, and a young boy tied to a wooden pole.

"I'm going to go check out the situation. Sort the stuff out with Mother," she said hastily, swiftly turning and leaving the room. She paused at the door, poking her head back in. "Oh and let the chefs know that they're making roast for dinner."

Smiling inwardly at the thought of dinner to herself, May made her way down the large Flarespyrese castle. Her Blaziken obediently followed, sticking by her side.

She had changed into her comfortable, combat outfit rather than the usual fancy dress. It consisted of a fitted top which was laced up at the back, tight leggings, a cape, a sheath containing a light sword attached to the hip and black boots.

The pair made their way out into the courtyard, the crowd immediately hushing and forming a path for them. May made her way through the path through the crowd, frowning at the sight before her. There was a large, wooden pole with a boy tied to it, his bloodied back exposed.

There was a man wielding a whip beside him, whom May recognised as one of the executors.

"What are you doing?" May asked, her sapphire eyes narrowed in concern. She made her way to the other side of the pole to inspect the face of the boy. Her eyebrows rose as she realised the handsome male was a mere teenager. "Who is this?"

"This," the executor said, chuckling maliciously as he looked at the injured boy, "is Floriade's petty prince, Drew Hayden. Is there a problem, your highness?"

May looked down at the boy, their eyes meeting in a clash of sapphire and emerald. He looked at her with empty emotion, before cutting off the eye contact and turning away. She sighed, before trying her best to cast an intimidating expression as she glanced at the executor.

"Yes, there is," she began, feigning a stoic, cold gaze. "He's only young, stop this and let him come with me. Perhaps, being my servant? Wouldn't that be more humiliating for Floriade?" She held her breath, hoping her words sounded real enough.

Drew glanced up at May, a curious but unconvinced glint in his eyes. The executor nodded enthusiastically, much to May's relief.

"Of course, your highness! You always know what to do!" he remarked, cutting off the large ropes that bound Drew's wrists.

May breathed out in relief inwardly, before looking down on Drew and putting on her cold mask once more as the crowd watched intently. "Come. Follow me."

Reluctantly, Drew feebly got to his feet and silently followed May through the murmuring civilians. Blaziken walked behind him, monitoring his every move.

The trio entered the castle, May bringing up Drew to her room. Once they were in, she closed the door behind them and headed to the window, leaning the heels of her palms on the windowsill and staring out.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, turning around and facing May. He was shirtless as he stood there, cuts and bruises spread all over his back.

"Believe it or not," May replied, turning her head to glance over her shoulder at Drew, "not all Flarespyrese people are what you think they're like." She turned around fully and walked over to him, sympathy running through her eyes.

Drew raised a brow, folding his arms. "What're you going to do to the Floriadese?"

"I don't know yet, I told my mother to handle that," May replied, hesitating. She sighed, shaking her head. "I may be the princess, but there's really not much I can do. Even if they don't attack us, we're all under the control of the Dracotorians now."

"What're you gonna do about it?" Drew taunted, smirking. "Sit around here like a damsel in distress and let those crazy dragons take over the world or actually try and fight back?" He stood there, amused at the lack of reply. "What? Look, I know I'm eye candy but that's no reason to just stand there and drool."

This snapped May out of her daze as she looked Drew in the eyes and glared. "You wish! Please put a shirt on," she snapped, her face red. She recomposed herself, before taking a deep breath. "Turn around."

"Why?"

"Just do it," May said, before smiling triumphantly. "You are my servant now, after all."

Drew shot her a begrudging expression, before rolling his eyes and turning in his spot. "Happy, _mistress_?"

May winced at the sight of the swollen cuts and bruises, covering her eyes. She inhaled deeply, uncovering her eyes. "We have to get you to the healers," she said, opening her large bedroom door. "Let's go."

* * *

Misty rushed through her dome-enclosed region, jogging to her small home with thoughts swirling around her mind. She burst into the room, turning to see Ash laying on the bed with a pained expression on his sleeping face.

"Ash," she breathed, walking up beside the bed and examining his wound. Misty winced as she realised the purple marks from his wound had almost extended to his chest. She reached for her pouch, rummaging through it to bring out the handful of herbs.

She walked over to a benchtop in the small home, grinding the herbs into a paste before bringing it in a small bowl and taking a seat on the stool beside Ash's bed. Her delicate hands took some of the dark green paste, spreading it out onto Ash's abdomen.

Slowly, Ash's eyes opened to see the ginger Aquafinian beside him. His face seemed more relaxed as the paste was soothing his pain. "Hey, you got it!" Ash exclaimed happily at the sight of the remedial herb paste on his abdomen. "How was your trip to Floriade?"

Misty's oceanic eyes shifted away from his gaze, her eyelids slightly lowering. "I ran into the prince of Floriade –"

"Drew?" Ash interjected, perking up with interest. "I know him, we met once when he travelled to Galvania. We duelled too, and he won. How is he?"

Misty hesitated, before releasing a small sigh. "He helped me find those herbs for you, actually… I'm not sure what happened to him, Floriade was under attack and he told me to run. Probably been captured by them…"

Ash's face fell at the news, before he gulped and turned away. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the end of his bed. "We need to do something to help. How long until this heals?"

"Not too long, you'll be able to move freely within a few days," Misty began, standing up and turning to the window. "There should already be teams– maybe even armies –forming against the Dracotorians. Maybe we should join one."

Ash nodded, determination flickering through his chocolate eyes. "We will. And we will find Drew."

* * *

**A/N **Sorrry, that was sort of rushed because I wanted to get this chapter in ASAP! Did you all like the action in the beginning? ^-^

More Leaf, Serena and Calem in the next chapter too!

**Replies to guest reviews: **

**Raichflame: **I'll definitely consider your request! Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews again! They're really helpful and encouraging, much love!

**Just Another Kid: **You will find out all of that soon! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Sure, I can have an OC or two if I can find a place to fit them in.

Reviews, follows and favs are highly appreciated! (:


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N **Hey all! It's been like, a year since I last updated! Yeah... sorry about that. Anyway, I'm sure none of you remember what's happened so far. So you can either go re-read, or read this super brief summary to refresh your brain. Special thanks to cpu8 for bein a dork!

-Calem betrays his region and tells Celestia about their plan to attack.  
-Serena leaves to find Calem  
-Dragons are frozen.  
-Ice melts, dragons are possessed by (unknown, as of yet... well, there is a clue. XD)  
-Dragons attack everywhere, Drew is captured and May takes him in.  
-Ash is injured and Misty gets him medicine.

That was a horrible summary, so I hope you guys go and scan through. Anyway, sorry for the suuuuuuper late update (that rhymed!) but enjoy!

* * *

**V - When The Purity Was Tainted**

The Togekiss silently glided through the air, the fog keeping it covered. On its back, Serena held on tightly as she tried her best to see through the mist. "Fly a bit higher," she said, catching a glimpse of a rocky surface.

Finally, she had a semi-clear view of their surroundings. Below them was a deep forest, with long, dark green trees. However, it was on an angle. It was at the base of an extremely large mountain.

"So this is Dracotora," Serena mumbled under her breath. A sudden hiccup of shivers overcame her, she didn't know whether it was from the cold or the gloomy atmosphere, or both. She pointed to a flat part of land on the mountain, saying, "Land there, Togekiss!"

Togekiss landed softly onto the rocky surface, Serena sliding off its back. She took a few steps in, examining a large cavity on the mountainside. It didn't seem like there was anywhere else for her to go. She turned around, walking back to Togekiss.

"O...kay. This looks like a pretty cheerful place," she joked to herself, trying her best to laugh. The gloomy silence killed her mood as she sighed. "I don't think we'll find Calem here."

"_Calem?"_

Serena whipped around, to see a girl about her height with glowing red eyes. She was wearing a jet black outfit with long, wavy brown hair tied up. The girl stepped towards Serena, her eyes glowering with malice as she took each step – one by one.

"Who are you to call our prince by such informal terms?" she hissed, her piercing gaze intimidating Serena. "Where are you from? Answer me now!"

Serena staggered backwards, holding her hands up in retreat. "I'm just here to see Calem! Um – Prince Calem? His Highness Calem?" She winced, casting a hopeful glance. "Whatever you guys call him?"

"Who are you?" the girl demanded. "Identify yourself!"

"I'm S-Serena! Serena Yvonne of Celestia!" Serena stuttered, taking a few more steps backward. "Please, I'm just here to see Calem. I promise I will leave after a short visit."

The girl stared blankly, before letting out a dark giggle. "You think you can just visit him and leave? It doesn't work like that, naïve Celestian."

Before Serena had a chance to express her confusion, a boy with a matching outfit stepped out from behind the strange girl. "Leave her be, White," he said, a smirk growing on his face. He had the same crimson irises and messy brown hair. "Let's do as she asks."

"Really?" Serena said, her eyes widening hopefully. "You'll do that for me?"

He licked the edge of his lips, the smirk still painted on his face. "Don't make it sound like a favour. You'll wish we said no soon enough." Turning on his heels, he whistled a tune. In about two seconds, a Noivern burst through the large cavity in the mountainside. "Follow me."

"Uh… sure," Serena replied, slightly bewildered. Nevertheless, she climbed onto Togekiss. "Follow them!"

"Good luck," White said with a smile, with the same glow of malice in her eyes. "Take care of our guest, Black!" She sweetly waved them off as the two Pokemon took off for the skies.

On the way up, Serena gulped to herself. Her stomach churned as she wondered what Black had meant. She didn't feel like finding out. "Oh well," she breathed to herself. "There's no going back now."

After while of flying, they reached the mountain summit where the fog suddenly subsided completely. Serena's eyes widened at the sight. It was an absolutely ginormous, black castle – about twice the size of the Celestian one. It was surrounded by forest and a lake, on the mostly flat summit.

They landed outside the castle, and in a matter of seconds, all hell broke loose. A dozen guards ran out with large spears, holding them up to Togekiss. Black slid off his Noivern, explaining the situation to the guards as Serena didn't dare move an inch.

"Get down and come here," he commanded to Serena as the guards made way for her. "Hurry up."

As soon as she slid off her Pokemon, chains were thrown around its wings and necks. It cried out in fear as it was bound, trying to fly away but helplessly flopping to the ground.

"Togekiss!" Serena cried, but was pushed back by guards holding spears up to her. She was pulled back by Black as he pulled her hands back and attached handcuffs.

"Told you you'd regret it," he said matter-of-factly, dragging her away from her captured Pokemon. He ignored her cries and pleas as he pulled her into the castle. "Calem is no longer he who you knew before. He is no longer a coward."

Serena gritted her teeth and glared daggers at Black as she broke off from his grip violently. "He was _not_ a coward."

"I've known and followed him for his entire life," Black replied, regaining his grip on her wrists. "He never had the pride of Dracotora in him – despite being the king's son."

"What has gotten into these guys," Serena muttered to herself as she was pushed through the castle halls, earning the stares of hatred from those they passed.

After walking for a while, they reached two very large doors. Black smirked as he pushed them open.  
"You wanted to see him?" he asked, pushing her up the hall, "Here he is. Go on, talk to him."

Serena looked around at her surroundings. It was a large, dark, symmetrical hall with crystal windows and guards stationed by the walls. However, right above her was none other than Calem, seated comfortably in a throne. On his head was a black, twisted crown with sapphires, rubies and emeralds embedded on the tips.

"Calem? Do you remember me?"

He opened his eyes, glowing crimson red in the dark. He tilted his head slightly. "Ah, it's you," he mused, standing up. His long, black cape draped behind him as he went down the few steps, reaching her level. He then walked up to her and lifted her chin slightly with a single finger. "How could I forget you, Serena?"

Hope filled her as she smiled and let out a breath of relief. Her aqua blue eyes twinkled. "What happened to you? Come back with me, try and help – we can stop this mess!"

Calem stared for a second, before chuckling darkly and turning around. "My, my. You really are a fool. You came here, to the Dracotorian castle, thinking that _you_ could change all this?" He threw his head back and laughed out loud. "I told you that naïve view will get you nowhere."

Serena could do nothing but stare at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "But… what... what happened?" Her voice cracked. "What's happening?"

Calem rolled his eyes. "Take her away. Lock her up," he commanded as he glanced at Black. "Punish her for wasting my time." He then turned his back to them, ignoring Serena's yells and cries as she was pushed back down the hall.

"I didn't come here for nothing!" Serena yelled loudly as Black pushed her along. "You can't do this to me! Calem, please!"

Just before the doors were closed behind her, he turned to glance over his shoulder. For less than a second, the crimson glow left his pure blue eyes.

* * *

Over in Flarespyre, May sat in her bedroom, flicking through all of her mail. Drew sat with her, helping her through the piles of paper.

"Sometimes I hate being royal," May said, tearing open another envelope.

"Really?" Drew questioned, raising a brow. He had a bitter tone. "I thought it'd be easy with such a powerful nation." He tossed another letter into the junk pile, not taking notice of May's sympathetic glance.

As she scanned the letter in her hands, she raised her eyebrows. "Hey, take a look at this. The prince of Krystalacia needs to meet me as soon as possible… at a mountain?" She looked at the attached map, frowning.

"Read it out."

May nodded, clearing her throat. "_Dear May. Under the current circumstances I hope you can understand my urgency. I ask you to meet me at the location marked on the map I have given you. I cannot tell you anything else as I don't know who may be reading this letter. Bring only those you ultimately trust. Best wishes, Steven."_

"What's your relationship with him?" Drew asked, folding his arms. He frowned. "I'll come with you. I don't trust that stony pretty boy.

"And you are so much more trustworthy?" she shot back playfully. She stared at the parchment with a sentimental gaze. "Prince Steven… I was actually supposed to get an arranged marriage with him. It didn't happen though, we both refused."

"Aren't you like, 17?"

"Yep."

"Isn't that too young?"

"That's the reason I refused him, you grasshead!"

Drew leaned back, a ghost of a smirk passing by. "Well, are you gonna go?" The amusement left his face as he looked down at the parchment. "How do you even know it's from him?"

"It has the seal of Krystalacia," she replied, pointing to an imprinted symbol. She sighed. "He seems urgent. I have no choice but to believe it's from him right now. Pack up, we leave tomorrow at dawn."

* * *

White walked down through the aisle between the underground cells at Dracotora Castle, glancing through the bars. She smirked as she found the person she was looking for. "Feeling alright there, Serena?"

Serena sat in the corner of the tiny cell, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were dull and lifeless. Tear streaks could be seen across her face, her blonde hair was tousled, clothes tattered and bloodstained. There was no reply.

White crouched down, tilting her head and examining the girl. "My, my. What have they done to you?" She chuckled, pouting her lips. "I could hear your screams – they were music to my ears. Innocent, pure, pink screams. My favourite."

Some time passed, before White stood back up and looked down upon the ravaged girl. "Your hideous name, it means 'clear, tranquil and serene.' Everything we aren't." Her eyes seemed to glow a deeper red. "Don't think you will ever have a place by Calem's side."

More footsteps approached, this time it was her brother. "Such harsh words White," he remarked, opening up the cellar door. There was a malicious glint in his eyes as he smirked. "Come on, Serena. I'm sure you'll love this next one." He swung the key around his finger. "We've prepared it just for you."

* * *

"Isn't this unsafe? We're basically travelling towards Dracotora."

May sighed, trudging up the path with her Blaziken beside her – carrying her large bag. Beside Blaziken was Sceptile, Drew's Pokemon. "Just because this random mountain is near Dracotora doesn't mean it's actually _in_ Dracotora, Drew."

The pair were travelling by foot along a mountainous ocean-side path after three days of various methods of travelling. The view was breathtaking, huge cliffs with the raging sapphire-tinted waves crashing against the rocks below them.

"I can't seem to figure out which region we're in right now," Drew thought out loud, frowning at the map. "This is really weird." He passed the map to May, hoping she could make sense of it.

"Neither," the princess replied with a shrug. She then grinned as they reached the top of a hill. "There," she exclaimed, pointing to the biggest mountain around them. "That's where he'd like to meet!"

Drew turned to her with a sceptical look, but nevertheless continued walking down the path. "That's one huge mountain though. He probably just wants to show you some cool rocks." He snorted. "What a dork."

May shot him a glare, before cheerfully continuing on the path. She broke into a jog, clearly more enthusiastic than before. Within half an hour, they had reached the base of the huge landform.

"So, now what?" Drew asked, glancing up around them. He placed down his bag, bringing his bow and loading an arrow from his quiver. "This looks like an ambush."

The princess raised a brow, before rolling her eyes. She cupped her hands to her mouth, yelling out for Steven. The vibrations bounced around the mountain's base, echoing multiple times. After a few seconds, there were various rustling and crunching sounds from the bushes – Drew averting his aim towards the perpetrator.

"Woah, woah," said the boy who stumbled out of the vegetation. He held his hands up in the air, flashing his pearly whites as he smiled sheepishly. "Steven sent me to collect you – he's uh – kinda busy right now."

"We can wait," May deadpanned, scanning him up and down. He had a fitted black t-shirt, camo pants and spiky auburn hair.

"You sure?" the boy asked, gazing upwards to the setting sun. "It's gonna get dark before he's done. Plus, there's always dragon types flying past us since we're close to Dracotora. Please, trust me. You need to be quick, we can't be discovered."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Drew lowered his bow. "I say we follow him. Not like we can go anywhere else."

"Alright," May gave in, nodding. "Let's go."

The boy gave a sigh of relief, before ushering them to follow him. Behind the bushes was a hidden path, filled with large overgrowth.

"I'm Gary by the way, from Martialaos," the boy introduced as they walked. "Pleasure to meet you, princess of Flarespyre. You're more beautiful than I imagined." He chuckled, before turning to Drew with an eyebrow raised. "And you are?"

"Drew," he replied, unamused. "Prince of Floriade."

"Ah," Gary replied, before rolling his eyes playfully. "So much royalty joining us. We're gonna be so strong."

May frowned. "Who's _us_?"

"Look for yourself," Gary said as they entered through a large opening into the mountain, into what seemed like a cavern. Except it wasn't just any cavern. It was the entire mountain – hollow from bottom to top.

There were a few thousand people bustling around the various levels of the hollowed mountain. Either eating, chatting, training, battling, soldering weapons. It was like a mega city inside a mountain – though it wasn't very full.

"Come on," Gary said, smirking at the sight of May and Drew's astounded faces. "Steven is this way. He co-runs this place."

May and Drew earned many stares from the people they walked past, and many greeted the royal duo graciously. One of the levels they passed through was a training level. They watched for a minute as a flexible, athletic blue-haired girl gave a series of rapid punches. The tall, muscular, purple-haired boy she was targeting, however, was easily blocking every move with his palms.

They finally reached a large room, where Steven was seated inside conversing with a few people.

May's sapphire eyes scanned the Krystalacian prince up and down. He was clad in fitted battle clothing, with little armour at his current state. He was wearing dark leather boots and steel pads on his shoulders. On his hip was a sword sheath, hanging from a belt with multiple tools. She did admit – he looked charming, as always.

Gary leaned on the wall, folding his arms as he cleared his throat. "I apologise for interrupting, but our guests of honour have finally arrived."

Steven looked up from his conversation, a smile growing on his face as he scanned the newcomers. "We've been awaiting you, Princess May." His gaze shifted to the princess' companion as his eyes filled with recognition. "Ah, you must be Prince Drew of Floriade. Pleasure to have you here with us."

Drew raised a brow, a quizzical expression on his face. "How do you know me?"

Steven laughed quietly. "How could I not? You are one of the most skilled archers I've ever seen."

Drew's mouth formed an 'o' shape. He thought back to the archery competition he attended in Continentia two years back – which he had won of course. He smirked, flicking his fringe. Perhaps Steven wasn't as bad as he thought.

"Why are we here?" May asked, looking around at her surroundings. It seemed like Steven's office, filled with maps and documents pinned on the walls. "Looks like some sort of base you have going on here."

"I'm sure you're aware of the current situation of our world. We're trying to create a resistance against the dragons," Steven replied, standing up. His gaze shifted to the many documents and maps. "We're pinpointing exactly where they'll attack next to try and bring as many survivors to safety here. So far we've gotten people from Celestia, Skyglade, Martialaos, Galvania and my own region – Krystalacia."

"Why didn't you send people to Floriade?" Drew questioned bitterly, narrowing his eyes. "We…" He paused, hesitating. "We have weaker military than all of those other regions."

Steven gave a small nod, a sympathetic expression on his face. "We didn't predict that Floriade would be their next target. I sincerely apologise, Drew." He received no reply from the grieving prince, so he continued. "Anyway, I hope you realise the amount of destruction and evil that will overcome the world if we don't team up and do something. We must also figure out what has caused the dragons to behave this way."

May nodded sincerely, looking straight into Steven's eyes with a flare in her eyes. "I'll put in my full cooperation." Her gaze shifted to Drew. "You?"

"Sure. I'll do what I can to help."

Steven nodded, a small smile adorning his face. "We appreciate it. Eventually, more and more troops with gather. You will all have training every day, if we get time. Every bit will count."

There were a few nods and a short silence, before May decided to ask another question.

"So, uh – where exactly are we? We couldn't figure it out from the map for some reason."

Steven glanced up at her, before smirking and leaning back on his desk. "You're standing in Lemuria, the lost land."

* * *

**A/N** OoooOOoO (Lemuria is the region of Normal, btw.)

Anyway, please leave a review for feedback, or if you still enjoy and would like to see this continued. Thanks!

-ShinyDragonair2


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